Information recorded in the form of a relief pattern has long been known using photoresists as the recording media. Such media, when exposed to a light pattern, change their solubility characteristics in the area struck by the light. Recently, suitably modulated electron beams have also been utilized for recording relief patterns. Some photoresists are useful as electron beam resists, but most of them are relatively insensitive to electrom beams, and recording must be performed at slow rates, slower than presently available equipment will permit.
Several polymeric materials are known to be electron beam sensitive, including polymethylmethacrylate, copolymers of certain olefins and SO.sub.2, disclosed by Kaplan and Davidson in copending application Ser. No. 401,213 filed Sept. 27, 1973, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,127 and certain alpha, beta-unsaturated ketone polymers, disclosed by Levine and Kaplan in copending application Ser. No. 314,975 filed Dec. 14, 1972. However, the search for additional materials that are particularly sensitive to electron beams and are capable of providing well resolved relief patterns has been continued.